In the Netherlands, a court banned the delivery of F-35 fighter parts to Israel.
Criticism of Israel from international organizations is intensifying as Israel prepares to expand its ground operation to Rafah. About a million refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip have packed into the city.
A “massacre” is expected in Rafah, warns the UN human rights commissioner Volker Türk.
– An attack on Rafah would be horrific — as a very large number of civilians, mostly children and women, will probably die and be injured, Türk says in the bulletin.
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which investigates suspected war crimes by the extremist organization Hamas and Israel Karim Khan writes in the message service X that he is “very worried about the bombings and a possible ground attack by Israeli forces in Rafah”.
Israel’s main supporter, the United States, also urges Israel to exercise restraint in Rafah. The White House repeated on Monday evening the president Joe Biden the earlier insistence that Israel has an obligation to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.
EU’s Borrell: Arms supply to Israel should be limited
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell believes that the international community should take action in the Middle East instead of making demands on Israel. He hinted at limiting the arms supply, and the proposal was especially interpreted as a message to the United States.
– If the international community considers this a slaughter and thinks that too many people have been killed, perhaps offering weapons [rajoittamista] should be thought about, Borrell told reporters in Brussels.
Borrell drew attention to the fact that the Netherlands is no longer allowed to deliver F-35 fighter parts to Israel. This was ordered by the Dutch court on Monday.
According to the human rights organizations that took the case to court, supplying the parts is against international law. Parts owned by the United States are stored in warehouses in Holland, from where they are delivered to various parties, including Israel.
According to the Dutch authorities, it is not clear whether the Netherlands even has the right to intervene in partial deliveries. The administration’s lawyers also reminded that even if the Netherlands did not supply parts of its stocks, Israel would easily be able to obtain them elsewhere.
Sources: Reuters, AFP